Maria Paikos

Maria Georgiou (Theophilopoulos) Paikos, age 91 of Lynn, passed away on Saturday, March 15, 2025, at home in the presence of her loving family—her children Effie and Jim Paikos, her daughter-in-law Lauren Barbieri, and her granddaughters Livia and Julia Paikos. She was the beloved wife of the late Pantaleon Paikopoulos (Lee Paikos), with whom she shared 56 years of marriage.

She was born on March 11, 1934, in the Greek village of Loganiko near Sparta, to the late Angelo (Yomatos) and George Theophilopoulos. She grew up during the Great Depression, World War II, and the Greek Civil War. Because she was a girl, her family did not allow her to attend school when the schools opened after the Civil War. However, as a young woman of 21 who knew her mind, she insisted on attending night school. She strove to make a better life for her family by tending animals and growing and making food from scratch. As a young woman, she picked oranges in the summer and olives in the fall in Sparta for years to earn extra money. She married Pantaleon in 1962, and they had their first child, Effie, the following year.

In 1968, the family emigrated to the United States where their son, Jim, was born. Maria and Pantaleon shared a strong commitment to hard work, their family and extended family, St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church of Lynn, and their friends and neighbors in Greece and the United States. The couple’s mutual passion for learning drove Maria to work tirelessly as an ironer in Domenico, Inc. in Lynn for nine years and a cleaning woman at Papa Gino’s for seven years to provide her children opportunities for education that she did not have. In 1978, she became a United States citizen.

Maria loved growing things in her garden, sharing what she grew with others, and cooking amazing food. She also had an eye for beauty and loved creating delicate flower arrangements from the flowers in her garden. In Greece she grew all of her food and made intricate blankets on a hand loom. She continued creating knitted and crocheted blankets and fine needle points in the U.S. She had memorized over 300 traditional and new songs she learned in Greece and sang them into her last month with a strong voice. She was known for her sense of playful humor and wit and delighted in telling people about her Greek heritage and learning about the heritage of others. She was a loving mother, mother-in-law, and Yiayia (grandmother).

She is survived by her daughter, son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughters, as well as her niece Maria Paikos-Hantzis and her son Kosta Hantzis; her nephew James J. Paikos, his wife, Kim, and their sons, Yianni and Michael; her brother Athanasios Theophilopoulos, his wife Panayiota, their children and grandchildren; and many other loving family members, friends, and neighbors.

Maria’s visitation will be held on Thursday, March 20, 2025, from 4:00 to 8:00 PM at the Cuffe-McGinn Funeral Home, 157 Maple Street, Lynn. Her funeral will be held at Cuffe-McGinn Funeral Home on Friday, March 21, 2025, at 10:00 AM, followed by a Funeral Service at 11:00 AM at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 54 S. Common Street, Lynn. Burial will follow in Pine Grove Cemetery. To share a memory or leave online condolences, please visit www.cuffemcginn.com.